One-piece decorative trim bezel having plural unpainted finishes

ABSTRACT

A one-piece trim bezel formed from multiple components. In the event of two co-molded components, the first co-molded part is composed of a polymerized material having an unpainted surface that may be a high gloss smooth surface or a textured low gloss surface and the second co-molded part, formed with the first part, is composed of a plateable plastic material. The second co-molded part is co-molded with the said first co-molded part to form a single piece trim bezel. The color of the polymerized material of the first co-molded part may be selected from a variety of colors. The plateable plastic material may be plateable with chrome. A multiple-shot injection molding process is used to form the one-piece trim bezel which joins the first co-molded part and the second co-molded part in one operation. The formed part is then subjected to a plating process during which time the chrome only deposits on the surface of the plateable plastic material of the second co-molded part while the surface of the first co-molded part remains unplated.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to trim bezels for vehicles.More particularly, the present invention relates to unpainted one-piecetrim bezels for vehicles comprising a chrome-plated finish and anun-painted and un-plated finish.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known to include trim bezels in the interiors of vehicles of alltypes. Decorative trim bezels are often desired by the styling designerto compliment a particular surface, to highlight a feature or todifferentiate vehicle series. Trim bezel designs with multiple surfacefinishes have become increasingly popular in vehicle design studios. Forexample, it is common in vehicle interiors to find a single trim bezelcomprising two or more connected parts with one of the parts having ahigh gloss surface (such as a high gloss piano black surface) orlow-gloss textured surface adjacent to a thin, chrome-plated ringsurrounding the periphery.

An example of such a known two-piece trim bezel is illustrated in FIG. 1which illustrates a trim bezel, generally illustrated as 10, whichincludes a first part 12 having a high gloss finish or a textured lowgloss finish and a second part 14 having a chrome-plated finish. Thefirst part 12 is produced conventionally by injection molding with itsblack high gloss finish ordinarily being the result of a base color coatand a layer of clear coat. The first part 12 and the second part 14 arethus separate parts, as illustrated in FIG. 2, which are thensnap-fitted or heat staked together to form a single component forinstallation into the interior of the vehicle.

While providing a satisfactory trim bezel, the known two-piece approachsuffers from several drawbacks. One of them is the high cost resultingfrom multiple pieces and the necessary labor to attach the two partstogether. Another problem is inherent with two closely positioned pieceswhich inherently has the high risk of squeaking or rattling when thevehicle is in motion, particularly over time as the vehicle ageadvances. An additional problem of known two-piece assemblies is thepotential for a poor surface appearance caused by any of severalpainting defects, including orange peel, sag, paint spits, and the like.Still a further problem inherent in known manufacturing processes oftwo-piece bezels is the negative environmental impact generated by VOCof painting as is well known.

As an alternative to the two-piece approach, it is known to injectionmold a single piece followed by masking of the area to be plated. Themasked part is then painted with a coating-resistant paint applied tothe area not requiring chrome plating. The piece is then electroplatedwith the chrome plate adhering to the non-painted areas. Onceelectrocoated, the part is then cleaned, masked and painted again, thistime with a high gloss finish coat, such as common piano black. Whilehaving certain desirable aspects, this approach requires a long supplychain and suffers from labor-intensive steps including repeated maskingand painting processes and the difficult-to-avoid result of having arough-cut line between the chrome finish and the high gloss finish dueto limitations of the chrome coating-resistant paint.

Accordingly, for both known methods discussed above in which thetwo-piece component or the single-piece component is masked, painted,plated and painted again, both inconsistent and poor quality and highlabor and production costs are known problems.

As in so many areas of vehicle technology, there is room for improvementin the manufacture of vehicle decorative trim bezels. Such improvementsideally include labor cost and component cost reductions with anassociated improvement in trim bezel quality.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disclosed invention provides a one-piece trim bezel formed from twoor more co-molded components. Where two co-molded components areinvolved, the first co-molded part is composed of a polymerized materialhaving an unpainted high gloss surface or a textured low gloss surfaceand the second co-molded part, formed with the first part, is composedof a plateable plastic material. The plateable plastic material can beselected from the group consisting of ABS, PC/ABS or any polymerizablethat can be plated. The second co-molded part is composed of anypolymerizable material that will not take a deposition of chromeplating. This component may be, for example, a polycarbonate (PC) or aPC blend in which the majority of the component is PC. Regardless of thematerial, in the two co-molded component construct the second co-moldedpart is co-molded with the said first co-molded part to form a singlepiece trim bezel. The color of the polymerized material of the firstco-molded part may be selected from a variety of colors, such as pianoblack. The plateable plastic material may be plateable with chrome withdifferent finishes such as bright or satin.

A multi-shot injection molding process is used to form the one-piecetrim bezel. The multi-shot injection molding process of the disclosedinvention may include two shots wherein a first co-molded part is joinedwith a second co-molded part in one operation. The multi-shot injectionmolding process of the disclosed invention may also employ more than twoshots, for example, where one shot is for a first component (such as aplateable chrome ring), one shot is for a second component (such as ahigh gloss piano black element), and another shot is for a thirdcomponent (such as a textured low gloss finish element).

Regardless of the number of shots, a two-piece mold having a highlypolished surface for the second co-molded part is used. The mold heatsthe bezel cavity to between 80° C. and 180° C. prior to materialinjection followed by a rapid cool down. For example, and in the case ofa two-shot process, the formed part is then subjected to a platingprocess during which time only the chrome is deposited on the surface ofthe plateable plastic material of the second co-molded part while thehigh-gloss surface or textured low gloss surface of the first co-moldedpart remains unplated. Alternative methods of heating the tool cavitymay include, but are not limited to, electrical heat, steam, pressurizedhot water, hot oil, and the like.

Other advantages and features of the invention will become apparent whenviewed in light of the detailed description of the preferred embodimentwhen taken in conjunction with the attached drawings and the appendedclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference shouldnow be made to the embodiments illustrated in greater detail in theaccompanying drawings and described below by way of examples of theinvention wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of an example of a two-piece trim bezelaccording to the prior art;

FIG. 2 illustrates a sectional view of the two-piece trim bezel of theprior art shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a partially perspective, sectional view of aone-piece trim bezel according to one embodiment of the disclosedinvention;

FIG. 4 is a front view of a one-piece trim bezel according to thedisclosed invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a preferred set of molds used in theproduction of the one-piece trim bezel of the disclosed invention; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a partially perspective, sectional view of aone-piece trim bezel according to another embodiment of the disclosedinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the following figures, the same reference numerals will be used torefer to the same components. In the following description, variousoperating parameters and components are described for differentconstructed embodiments. These specific parameters and components areincluded as examples and are not meant to be limiting.

With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, an exemplary one-piece trim bezel ofthe disclosed invention is shown and is generally illustrated as 20. Itis to be understood that the shape and overall design of the one-piecetrim bezel 20 is only presented for illustrative purposes and is notintended as being limiting as any of a number of designs andconfigurations can be produced using two co-molded components accordingto the disclosed invention.

The one-piece trim bezel 20 of the disclosed invention is formed fromtwo or more co-molded components including at least a plateable portion22 and a non-plated portion 24. The plateable portion 22 may be formedfrom any one of several plateable polymerizable materials includingwithout limitation ABS or PC/ABS plastic. More generally, the plateableportion 22 can be any polymerizable material which can be plated. Thenon-plated portion 24 may be formed from any of several polymerizablematerials capable of achieving a high gloss finish or textured low glossfinish upon molding, such as a polycarbonate (PC) or a PC blend in whichthe PC is the majority component. The color of the colored portion 24may be any color as required to match the color scheme of the vehicleinterior, such as the popular bezel trim color of piano black.

The plateable portion 22 is plated with a plated finish 26 which ispreferably a chrome plated finish. The colored portion 24 includes anin-mold gloss finish 28.

The plateable portion 22 and the colored portion 24 are co-molded. Theco-molding process, described below, results in a portion joint 30 whichis not discernable when the one-piece trim bezel 20 is viewed by avehicle occupant.

The one-piece trim bezel 20 of the disclosed invention is formed by atwo-shot injection molding process using a bezel mold 50 as shown inFIG. 5. With reference thereto, the bezel mold 50 includes a first half52 and a second half 54. The first half 52 and the second half 54 areillustrated in FIG. 5 in their injection position in which the halvesare positioned together.

The first half 52 of the bezel mold 50 includes a mold cavity 56 definedtherein. The mold cavity 56 includes a polished surface or texturedsurface 58 against which the plateable portion 22 is injected.

For injection of the plateable portion 22 one or more injection ports60, 60′ are formed in the second half 54 of the bezel mold 50. Forinjection of the colored portion 24 one or more injection ports 62, 62′are formed in the second half 54 of the bezel mold 50.

In operation, the bezel mold 50 heats the mold cavity 56 to between 80°C. and 180° C. prior to injection. Once a temperature within this rangehas been achieved, the injection of the polymerized materials formingthe plateable portion 22 and the colored portion 24 takes place in asingle operation with these materials being injected into the moldcavity 56 by the injection ports 60, 60′ and 62, 62′ respectively.

After the polymerized materials forming the plateable portion 22 and thecolored portion 24 have been injected into the mold cavity 56, the bezelmold 50 is subjected to a rapid cool down. The formed one-piece trimbezel (not shown) is then removed and is subjected to a plating processduring which time chrome adheres only to the surface of the plateableportion 22 to form the plated finish 26 (shown in FIG. 3) while the highgloss finish of the colored portion 24 remains unplated.

Alternative methods of heating up the tool cavity may include, but arenot limited to, electrical heat, steam, pressurized hot water, hot oil,and the like.

The description above relates to a two-component bezel and a method ofmaking the two-component bezel. In addition, a multi-component bezel maybe made from a multi-shot process. By way of example, a three-componentbezel, generally illustrated as 70, is illustrated in FIG. 6. The bezel70 includes a plateable portion 72, a first non-plated portion 74, and asecond non-plated portion 76. The arrangement and number of componentsshown in FIG. 6 are intended as being suggestive and are not intended asbeing limiting. The plateable portion 72 may be formed from any one ofseveral plateable polymerizable materials including without limitationABS or PC/ABS plastic. More generally, the plateable portion 72 can beany polymerizable material which can be plated. The non-plated portions74 and 76 may be formed from any of several polymerizable materialscapable of achieving a high gloss finish or textured low gloss finishupon molding, such as a polycarbonate (PC) or a PC blend in which the PCis the majority component. The color of the non-plated portions 74 and76 may be any color as required to match the color scheme of the vehicleinterior.

The plateable portion 72 is plated with a plated finish 78 which ispreferably a chrome plated finish. The non-plated portions 74 and 76 mayhave any of several finishes, such as a gloss finish (e.g., gloss pianoblack) and a textured low gloss finish.

The plateable portion 72 and the unplated portions 74 and 76 areco-molded. The co-molding process results in a first joint 80 betweenthe plateable portion 72 and the first unplated portion 74 and a joint82 between the first unplated portion 74 and the second unplated portion76. The joints 80 and 82 are not discernable when the one-piece trimbezel 70 is viewed by a vehicle occupant.

The foregoing discussion discloses and describes exemplary embodimentsof the present invention. One skilled in the art will readily recognizefrom such discussion, and from the accompanying drawings and claims thatvarious changes, modifications and variations can be made thereinwithout departing from the true spirit and fair scope of the inventionas defined by the following claims.

1. A single piece trim bezel formed from multiple co-molded componentscomprising: a first co-molded part composed of an unplateablepolymerized material having an unpainted surface; a second co-moldedpart formed with said first part, said second co-molded part beingcomposed of an unplateable polymerized material, said second co-moldedpart being co-molded with said first co-molded part to form a singlepiece trim bezel.
 2. The single piece trim bezel of claim 1 furtherincluding a third co-molded part composed of a polymerized material. 3.The single piece trim bezel of claim 1 wherein said unpainted surfacehas a finished selected from the group consisting of high gloss andtextured low gloss.
 4. The single piece trim bezel of claim 1 whereinsaid unplateable polymerized material is piano black.
 5. The singlepiece trim bezel of claim 1 wherein said co-molded parts are molded bytwo-shot injection molding.
 6. The single piece trim bezel of claim 2wherein said co-molded parts are molded by three-shot injection molding.7. A single piece trim bezel formed from multiple co-molded componentscomprising: a first co-molded part composed of a polymerized materialhaving an unpainted high gloss surface; a second co-molded part composedof a plateable polymerized material; and a third co-molded part formedfrom a polymerized material having an unpainted textured low glosssurface, said co-molded parts being co-molded to form a single piecetrim bezel.
 8. The single piece trim bezel of claim 7 wherein saidsecond co-molded part is composed of a plateable polymerized materialselected from the group consisting of ABS or PC/ABS.
 9. The single piecetrim bezel of claim 7 wherein said unpainted polymerized material isselected from the group consisting of unplateable PC or an unplateablePC blend.
 10. The single piece trim bezel of claim 7 wherein saidunpainted polymerized material is a color selected from a variety ofcolors.
 11. The single piece trim bezel of claim 10 wherein saidpolymerized material of said first co-molded part is piano black. 12.The single piece trim bezel of claim 11 wherein said injection moldingis three-shot injection molding.
 13. A method for forming a single piecetrim bezel including the steps of: forming a bezel mold having a firsthalf and a second half, said bezel mold having a first injection portfor a first polymerizable material and a second injection port for asecond polymerizable material; positioning said first half and saidsecond half of said bezel mold next to one another; injecting said firstpolymerizable material into said first injection port, said firstpolymerizable material being an unplateable material; injecting saidsecond polymerizable material into said second injection port, saidsecond polymerizable material being plateable; removing said singlepiece trim bezel from said bezel mold; and subjecting said single piecetrim bezel to a plating process whereupon plating material adheres onlyto said second polymerizable material.
 14. The method for forming asingle piece trim bezel of claim 13 wherein said injection of said firstpolymerizable material and said second polymerizable material is atwo-shot injection process.
 15. The method for forming a single piecetrim bezel of claim 13 further including the step of forming a thirdinjection port in said bezel mold and injecting a third polmerizablematerial into said bezel mold, said third polymerizable material beingan unplateable material.
 16. The method for forming a single piece trimbezel of claim 15 wherein said injection of said first polymerizablematerial, said second polymerizable material, and said thirdpolymerizable material is a three-shot injection process.
 17. The methodfor forming a single piece trim bezel of claim 13 wherein said bezeltool cavity is heated to between 80° C. and 180° C. prior to materialinjection and thereafter said bezel mold is subjected to a cool downafter injection of said first and second polymerizable materials. 18.The method for forming a single piece trim bezel of claim 13 whereinsaid bezel includes an outer surface and wherein said first half of saidmold includes a cavity defining said bezel surface.
 19. The method forforming a single piece trim bezel of claim 18 wherein said cavityincludes a first surface against which said first polymerizable materialis injected and a second surface against which said second polymerizablematerial is injected, said second surface being a polished surface. 20.The method for forming a single piece trim bezel of claim 13 whereinsaid first polymerizable material forms an unpainted high gloss surfacein said bezel mold.